Whatever is said and done, one must give credits where it is due. Jake Paul and Tommy Fury finally met at the Diriyah Arena on February 26. There might be a rematch, but the first edition at least brought closure to a saga of bitterness that commenced two years ago. The duo was set for a fight in December 2021 that keeled at the altar of Tommy Fury’s injuries. The second fight scheduled for August last year bowed out as visa-related issues prevented the younger Fury brother’s entry to the US. The third fixture finally proved the lucky break.
Both the fighters had long-standing criticisms to assuage. Long accused of fighting opponents with little to do with proper boxing, Paul had to prove that he could face off against a purebred boxer. On the other hand, despite an unblemished record, Tommy Fury often got lampooned for fighting boxers who hardly had wins!
The business of boxing: Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury
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The eight-rounder didn’t prove a dampener in the end. Right from the time the first round started, with the help of clinical jabs, Fury succeeded in spoiling Paul’s plan, if there were any. The latter rebounded in the third round. Then in the eighth, he surprised everyone by sending Tommy Fury to the canvas. But it was too little too late, as his performance left the judges unimpressed. Fury eventually won by a split decision.
Talks of a rematch have started doing rounds already. In the meantime, however, a lack of general agreement on the commercial aspect of the Diriyah face-off has raised a few questions.
On the show BS w/ Jake Paul, Jake Paul discussed the fight with his elder brother Logan Paul. The former seemed very optimistic about the overall revenue generation through PPV sales. He said, “I guess the silver lining is that the Pay-Per-Views are off the fucking charts. Probably gonna be the biggest fight of the year; it’s gonna be hard to contend with… It’s probably coming in like over half a million buys.”
Reportedly, the price of a PPV for UK-based fans was fixed at £19.95, while those in the US had to dole out $49.99.
There might be a need to lower the bar
However, it might be as well be far away from the truth as purported by MMA journalist Dave Meltzer. According to him, the individual purses might have stayed near $10 million for Paul, against his claim to have secured $30 million, and $4 million for Fury. As far as the pay-per-view is concerned, “the rumored number from sources who would know, was 200,000,” as reported by MMA News.
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While Fury might have agreed to the rematch, it remains unclear whether he opts to stay on the crossover route or chart out an altogether standard boxing career. As far as Jake Paul goes, starting in January this year, he signed up with the Professional Fighters League marking his entry into mixed martial arts.
Read More: Floyd Mayweather Gets a Financial Reality Check From Jake Paul Before Aaron Chalmers Fight
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What is your take on Jake Paul’s claims? Do you think he made $30 million in his last fight? Do share your views and opinions with us in the comments below.
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